Game Changers: Health Laws, NFL Rules, and Pros vs. Student Athletes

The Wall Street Journal likes using “Game Changers” as headlines. This makes sense as metaphors highlight concepts in articles making content easier for readers.

Health-Care Law’s Game-Changing Tax: Laura Saunders

June 29, 2012: “WSJ’s Laura Saunders digs deep inside the affordable health-care law affirmed by The Supreme Court this week and reveals a little-known tax that many call a game-changer.” Long term capital gains will change from 15% to 18.8%.

Game Changer: NFL Scrambles to Fill Seats, by Kevin Clark

“Professional football, America’s most popular and profitable sport, is preparing to tackle a glaring weakness: Stadiums are increasingly empty. The idea is that bolstering cell reception and adding wireless will enable fans to re-create the living room in their stadium seats. Fans can receive highlights and replays of the game on the field, or other games across the country. Pete Ward, chief operating officer of the Colts, said this year that the team will unleash a new app for on-demand highlights for fans at the game. ‘Your smartphone is your replay screen in our stadium,.’ Mr. Ward said.

“STANFORD, Calif.—Yesol Huh walked into a gym here for an intramural-basketball game last year, eager to help her team notch its first victory.

Then she spotted the opposing center. Ex-NBA player Mark Madsen, left, who played briefly in a rec league, was recently hired as an assistant coach for the Stanford men’s basketball team.

He was 6-foot-9 and warmed up by violently dunking the ball in the Stanford University court. ‘We’re never winning this game,’ Ms. Huh recalls thinking.

Her prediction was a slam-dunk: The center was Mark Madsen, a former player in the National Basketball Association. Mr. Madsen ‘had such good rebounding instincts, we eventually gave up and let him have every one,’ says Travis Johnson, one of Ms. Huh’s teammates. Their side lost by 30 points.”

Game Changer: NFL Scrambles to Fill Seats, by Kevin Clark

“Professional football, America’s most popular and profitable sport, is preparing to tackle a glaring weakness: Stadiums are increasingly empty. The idea is that bolstering cell reception and adding wireless will enable fans to re-create the living room in their stadium seats. Fans can receive highlights and replays of the game on the field, or other games across the country. Pete Ward, chief operating officer of the Colts, said this year that the team will unleash a new app for on-demand highlights for fans at the game. ‘Your smartphone is your replay screen in our stadium,.’ Mr. Ward said.